Along the Trail of Spiritual Energy Sites Traveling along 600-kilometer-long yellow biking Trail of the Spiritual Energy Sites is the best way of visiting the most interesting places of religious cult in the Świętokrzyski Region. A few days’ biking trip would cover the whole trail that runs along a closed loop leading through the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship. It will take you to the most important places of religious cult, sanctuaries and other sacral objects such as the monastery on Święty Krzyż, Golden Forest Hermitage in Rytwiany, collegiate church in Wiślica, Cistercian abbey in Wąchock, Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Mary in Kielce, and to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland and Mother of the Świętokrzyski Region in Kałków-Godów. It’s only a choice from many other places of religious cult that are located on the Trail of Spiritual Energy Sites. The trail was designed to avoid heavy traffic roads as much as possible. It’s not difficult to follow the trail as it is additionally sign-posted with the logo featuring an outline of church and bike.
Kielce – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace Cathedral of the Ascension of the Holy Virgin Mary
Piotrkowice – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto
The Collegiate Church of the Holy Virgin Mary was founded by the Cracovian (Kraków) bishop Gedeon in 1171. It was erected on the Castle Hill in the very heart of the city. After many damages and reshapings, the present building represents an early-Baroque three-nave basilica with interiors sheltering the famous picture of Our Lady of Grace with Child, also known as the picture of of Our Lady of Grace of Kielce. It was painted around 1600. Placed in the southern side nave, the miraculous picture was crowned by Pope John Paul II on 3 June 1991. The cathedral treasury and the burial crypt of the Cracovian bishops is open to visitors.
Piotrkowice was a very popular pilgrimage destination already in the mid-17th century. People were coming to the Loreto Chapel located in the local parish church, where Our Lady of Loreto was venerated. The Gothic figure of Our Lady with Child dates back to 1400. The picture features Mary holding a scepter in her right hand; the Child sitting on his Mother’s left arm keeps his right hand on her shoulder and in its left hand holds an apple, a symbol of royal power. The Kielce bishop Czesław Kaczmarek put the crown over her head on 7 September 1958; it was the first coronation of Our Lady after World War II. Approximately 100,000 faithful attended the ceremony.
Cathedral Treasury Pl. Panny Marii 3, 25-013 Kielce tel. +48 41 344 63 07, Open after telephone request.
Morawica – the Świętokrzyska Calvary Major localities on the Trail of Spiritual Energy Sites: Kielce – Morawica – Piotrkowice – Pińczów – Młodzawy Małe – Zagość – Wiślica – Pacanów – Zborówek – Rytwiany – Sulisławice – Bogoria – Nowa Słupia (wejście na Święty Krzyż) – KałkówGodów – Radkowice – Wąchock – Skarżysko-Kamienna – Sielpia – Włoszczowa – Kossów – Nagłowice – Małogoszcz – Piekoszów – Kielce
The parish history is not more than several dozen years old. The Świętokrzyska Calvary was completed in 1997. It was built as a votive offering for the gift of John Paul II papacy. The Calvary is perfectly fitted into the church hill on which still stands the ruin of the old chapel dedicated to the Oraczewski family. The church was erected in the 1970s and contains the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Care, an icon featuring Mary the Virgin, Infant Jesus, and Michael and Gabriel Archangels.
Regional Tourist Information Center in Kielce ul. Sienkiewicza 29, 25-007 Kielce tel./fax. +48 41 348 00 60 www.swietokrzyskie.travel, informacja@swietokrzyskie.travel
Cistercian Abbey in Wąchock
Parish Dedicated to Lady of Perpetual Care ul. Spacerowa 6, 26-026 Morawica tel. +48 41 311 42 20, +48 41 311 47 86
Cathedral in Kielce
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto ul. Kościelna 1, 28-111 Piotrkowice tel. +48 41 354 90 09
Pińczów – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mirów
The monastery church of the Visitation of the Holy Virgin Mary was founded by the Myszkowski family in the 17th century. They also provided the church with a valuable painting of the Italian origin featuring Our Lady with Child. It was supposed to be a copy of the picture of Our Lady of the Snow from Rome, also known as Salus Populi Romani, or Salvation of the Roman People. Our Lady of Mirów has been venerated for centuries by pilgrims coming to Pińczów individually or in groups. The picture of Our Lady was crowned in 1992. Noteworthy is the rich ornamentation of the church interiors (barrel vaults with lunettes in the nave and presbytery) and the adjacent building of the monastery with cloister garth. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mirów ul. Klasztorna 29, 28-400 Pińczów tel. +48 41 357 20 84
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto in Piotrkowice
Młodzawy Małe – The Church of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady of Sorrows
Built of the Pińczów limestone blocks, the Church of the Holy Spirit sits on a hill overlooking the Nida River valley. The site is often referred to as the Częstochowa of the Ponidzie Region. The monumental, late-Baroque temple contains the famous miraculous picture of Our Lady of Sorrows of Młodzawa from 1750. Under the presbytery and in the arms of the transept were placed the crypts of the church founders including margrave Aleksander Wielkopolski, Kępski family, and Józef Gonzaga-Myszkowski. The picture became referred to as miraculous after the following event: an intensive light was noticed in the church one day, and people thought that the church got on fire. The priest with parishioners went into the church and saw that all candles in front of the picture were lit. Nobody could do it because the church was locked. The same thing reoccurred three times, and ever since then the church has become a pilgrimage destination.
Wiślica – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of King Łokietek
The collegiate church in Wiślica was founded (14th c.) by king Kazimierz III Wielki (Casimir III the Great) as penance for the murder of Marcin Baryczko. The fact is commemorated on the erection plaque placed over the southern portal leading into the two-nave Gothic building. Remains of two earlier Romanesque churches (12th and 13th cc.) were discovered beneath the floor level, as well as a unique Orantów Plate, a Romanesque floor from 1170. The high alter shelters a Romanesque-Gothic stone figure of Our Lady with Child known as Madonna Łokietkowa (1300). It is believed that king Władysław Łokietek and other monarchs prayed here for graces and their prayers were not left without response. The ceremonious
Collegiate Church in Wiślica
coronation of the picture was performed by the Primate of Poland Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in 1966. Guided tours of the Basilica and the Museum are offered to visitors from Wednesday till Sunday between 9am and 4pm. Plac Solny 32, 28-160 Wiślica tel. 41 379 21 64, 508 869 366 www.muzeum.wislica.pl
Rytwiany – the Golden Forest Hermitage The Eremu Silvae Aureae, or the Golden Forest Hermitage, was built near Rytwiany (1624-27) for the Monte Korona Cameldolese congregation. The complex included a church of the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary, monastic and administration buildings as well as ermitorium (16 dwellings for hermits). Today it is the only monastery opened to the public in Poland that has preserved its nearly original 17th century shape. It’s been a year now that the renovated Golden Forest Hermitage functions as a therapeutic center and offers therapeutic and relaxation stays to those who seek spiritual relief and wish to spend some time in silence, solitude, without radio, TV or telephone. The center can accommodate 40 persons in rooms with bath; there is also a fitness room, sauna and a massage center. In the refectory located in the main monastery building home-made dishes are served; they are prepared according to recipes of the European Cameldolese Trail. Relaksacyjno-Kontemplacyjne Centrum Terapeutyczne „Pustelnia Złotego Lasu” (Relaxation and Contemplation Therapeutic Center ul. Klasztorna 25, 28-236 Rytwiany, tel. +48 15 864 77 95 www.pustelnia.com.pl Guided tours: May - Oct, on weekdays 9am – 6pm, Sat 9am – 8pm Sundays and holidays 12:00 – 8pm; Nov – April, on weekdays 9am – 4pm, Sundays and holidays 12:00 – 4pm
Golden Forest Hermitage in Rytwiany
Sulisławice – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows There two churches built in Sulisławice. The first one was erected in the 13th century, and although much enlarged in 1600, it preserved a few original Romanesque and Gothic elements such as builders’ marks and the southern portal. The former sacristy now contains a memory room devoted to the Jędrusie partisan grouping that recorded the longest operation period during World War II. Next to the old church, a new one was built in the years 1871-1888. Dedicated to the Birth of the Holy Virgin, the new church is home to the much venerated picture of Our Lady of Sorrows of Sulisławice transferred from the old church. The picture painted in distemper on a wooden plank was most probably made around 1450.The first coronation took place in 1913. The gold crowns were stolen in 1940, but the robbers dumped them in the cemetery, where they were found later. The new crowns were consecrated on 7 July 1991 by Pope John Paul II during his fourth pilgrimage to Poland. O.O. Zmartwychwstańcy, 27-671 Sulisławice 90 tel. 15 866 93 62 www.madonny.zascianek.pl
Święty Krzyż – the Sanctuary of the Relics of the Holy Cross The Benedictine monastery on the summit of Mt Łysiec in the heartland of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains is certainly one of the regional highlights attracting both pilgrims and tourists. The Benedictine Abbey was founded here in the 12th century and soon the relics of the Holy Cross arrived – they were just five little fragments of the wooden cross on which Our Lord died. Till the 17th century it was the most important religious sanctuary in Poland. Although now it ranks second after the Black Madonna Sanctuary in Częstochowa, it is still visited by approximately 200,000 pilgrims and tourists each year. Sanctuary of the Relics of the Holy Cross
The relics are kept in an armor-plated tabernacle of the high alter in the burial chapel of the Oleśnicki family. They have a form of a double-armed cross framed in sheet gold with engravings. This casing is placed in the silver reliquary featuring a sun crown. The Baroque and neoclassical building of the church is the third temple erected on this site in the years 1781-1789. Its interiors represent the simplicity of neoclassical style embellished with paintings by Franciszek Smuglewicz. One of them shows St Emericus during his encounter with an angel with the Łysogóry Range in the background. Besides the relics of the Holy Cross, the Oleśnicki family chapel (1614-1620) contains the tombstones of Mikołaj an Zofia Oleśnicki as well as the crypt of Jeremi Wiśniowiecki. There is also the Museum of the Oblate Missionaries of Our Lady the Immaculate. Other attractions include the unique gołoborza, or boulder fields, remains of the pagan cult site (8th c.) surrounding the summit of Mt Łysica, and the Exhibition of the Świętokrzyski NP. Klasztor na Świętym Krzyżu Święty Krzyż 1, 26-004 Bieliny, gmina Nowa Słupia tel. +48 41 317 70 21 www.swietykrzyz.pl Open: on weekdays 9am — 5pm, Sundays and holidays 12:15 - 5pm
Kałków-Godów – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland and Mother of the Świętokrzyski Region Although the youngest center of the Marian cult in Poland, the sanctuary is visited by a great number of tourists and pilgrims each year. This biggest regional pilgrimage center was created around the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland. It was started in 1967 thanks to the efforts of priest Czesław Wala and the support of the local people. In 1971 he bought an old stable in order to convert it first into a catechetic classroom, and later into a chapel. Today the area of 22 acres is dotted with different buildings, chapels, figures and the Way of the Cross stations. Behind the veil, in the high alter of the two-storied church is placed a miraculous picture of Our Lady, a copy of the famous picture of Our Lady of Licheń. The monumental building of Sanctuary in Kałków-Godów
the Świętokrzyska Golgotha, Pantheon of the Polish Nation Martyrology, is 33-meter-high and topped with a 15-meter-tall wooden cross. It was designed to imitate an old ruined castle. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland and Mother of the Świętokrzyski Region Kałków-Godów 84 A, 27-225 Pawłów k. Starachowic tel. +48 41 272 18 88 www.kalkow-godow.pl
Wąchock – the Cistercian Abbey
Not only jokes about Wąchock are known all over the country, but also its history closely connected with the existence of the Cistercian abbey built in the years 1218-1239. Remodeled many times, the complex features a monastery and a late-Romanesque church buChapter House in the Monastery in Wąchock ilt of two-colored stone blocks. Its Baroque interior contains a Romanesque chapter house with cross-ribbed vaults and an early-Gothic refectory. The legendary commander of the Świętokrzyskie Home Army Groups major Jan Piwnik alias Ponury buried in the crypt located in the monastery cloisters. The Museum of Cistercian Fathers is situated next to the monastery gate and contains a unique collections of mementos from the national uprisings gathered by colonel Father Walenty Ślusarczyk. These collections are grouped in a few departments displaying variety of mementos devoted to Father Walenty Ślusarczyk, Commonwealth of Poland before Partitions, November Uprising (1830), January Uprising (1863-64), Second Polish Republic, World War II, and to the operations of the Home Army. The last part of the exhibition informs visitors about the history of the Cistercian Order in Poland. Monastery in Wąchock ul. Kościelna 14, 27-215 Wąchock tel. +48 41 272 02 00, +48 41 271 50 66, fax. +48 41 271 50 12 Individual visitors and groups should first report at the monastery gate. Opening hours: on weekdays 9am–12.00, 1:30pm–5:15pm, 6pm–6:30pm (till 8pm in summer), Sundays and holidays 9am-1pm, 2:30pm–5:15pm, 6pm– 6:30pm (till 8pm in summer) www.cystersi.pl
Skarżysko-Kamienna – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ostra Brama Patterned on the Vilnius Sanctuary of Our Lady, the one in SkarżyskoKamienna is located near the road E77. Erected in the years 1986-93, it has a form of a square building with the chapel on the upper level. The chapel shelters a copy of the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Ostra Brama painted by Izabela Borowska from Vilnius. The picture was crowned on 2 July 2005. The construction of the sanctuary was generously sponsored by Poles living in Canada, England and the USA. It is often visited by pilgrims from those countries as well as Poles living in the East.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKI REGION
Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Ostrobramskiej ul. Wileńska 33, 26-110 Skarżysko-Kamienna tel. +48 41 253 88 00, fax. +48 41 252 91 00 www.ostrobramska.pl
Włoszczowa – the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary According to tradition, the church was to be built where Our Lady appeared to the children in the 17th century. Primate Maciej Łubieński gave his consent for the construction of the chapel because the apparitions occurred many times and lots of people witnessed them. Some time later Father Jakub Chrostkiewicz brought a painting of Our Lady the Immaculate with Child from Cracow (Kraków). It is now placed in the high alter of the church which was greatly enlarged in the 19th century.
Piekoszów – the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy The noble Odrowąż family had the first church dedicated to St James the Apostle built in Piekoszów in 1366. It became a local sanctuary thanks to the miraculous picture of Our Lady with Child painted by a Pauline monk from Częstochowa (Sanctuary of Black Madonna) in 1691. A bigger three-nave church was erected to meet the needs of the growing number of pilgrims. The picture was crowned by the Primate of Poland Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in 1968. The crowns were stolen fifteen years later. The re-coronation ceremony took place in 1986 and was celebrated by the Primate of Poland Cardinal Józef Glemp.
Sanctuary of Our Lady in Piekoszów
Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Miłosierdzia ul. Częstochowska 52, 26-065 Piekoszów tel. 41 306 10 16 Text: Sylwia Skuta Publisher: Regional Tourist Organization (ROT) of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, ul. Ściegiennego 2/32, 25-033 Kielce, (Bldg of the Voivodeship Culture Center, Room 32), tel. +48 41 361 80 57 www.rot.swietokrzyskie.travel
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EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
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THE ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKIE VOIVODESHIP
Project of the Promotional Campaign for the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund.
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